Field Application of the Micro Biological Survey Method for a Simple and Effective Assessment of the Microbiological Quality of Water Sources in Developing Countries

Alyexandra Arienzo, Martin Sanou Sobze, Raoul Emeric Guetiya Wadoum, Francesca Losito, Vittorio Colizzi and Giovanni Antonini
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Alyexandra Arienzo: Department of Science, Roma Tre University, viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
Martin Sanou Sobze: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Dschang, West Province, Cameroon
Raoul Emeric Guetiya Wadoum: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, West province, Cameroon
Francesca Losito: Department of Science, Roma Tre University, viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
Vittorio Colizzi: Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00173 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Antonini: Department of Science, Roma Tre University, viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, “safe drinking-water must not represent any significant risk to health over a lifetime of consumption, including different sensitivities that may occur between life stages”. Traditional methods of water analysis are usually complex, time consuming and require an appropriately equipped laboratory, specialized personnel and expensive instrumentation. The aim of this work was to apply an alternative method, the Micro Biological Survey (MBS), to analyse for contaminants in drinking water. Preliminary experiments were carried out to demonstrate the linearity and accuracy of the MBS method and to verify the possibility of using the evaluation of total coliforms in 1 mL of water as a sufficient parameter to roughly though accurately determine water microbiological quality. The MBS method was then tested “on field” to assess the microbiological quality of water sources in the city of Douala (Cameroon, Central Africa). Analyses were performed on both dug and drilled wells in different periods of the year. Results confirm that the MBS method appears to be a valid and accurate method to evaluate the microbiological quality of many water sources and it can be of valuable aid in developing countries.

Keywords: microbiological quality of water; water-borne diseases; MBS method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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